Air Force combat controllers receive Silver Stars (GALLERY)

Tech. Sgt. Ismael Villegas, a combat control recruit liaison with the 24th Special Operations Wing, and Staff. Sgt. Dale Young, a combat control instructor with the 342nd Training Squadron, are seen after they were awarded Silver Stars on July 22.

AIR FORCE STAFF SGT. VERNON YOUNG JR. / Special to the Daily News

By LAUREN SAGE REINLIE / Daily News

Published: Tuesday, July 30, 2013 at 06:22 PM.

Over an 18-day battle in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, more than two years ago, Tech Sgt. Ismael Villegas dodged bullets and bombs in heavy rain and sleet.

At one point he was wounded when a rocket-propelled grenade launched from about 30 feet away struck a wall in front of him.

It was the longest time he’d ever been directly engaged in combat.

“There was a lot of sleep deprivation,” the 35-year-old said recently. “That was one of the hardest things. The physical pain is one thing, but the lack of sleep is a little bit more painful.”

In February 2011, the air combat controller assigned to the 24th Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field was working alongside some Army Special Forces troops in one of the most deadly areas in Afghanistan.

The area hadn’t seen any coalition troops for some time, and Villegas and the other soldiers didn’t know exactly what to expect. They thought the mission might last a week.

Villegas’ job was to coordinate all their air assets — about 40 aircraft that included gunships, helicopters and drones.

At one point, when one of the units was under attack and pinned down, he ran toward them, completely exposing himself to a barrage of enemy fire, in order to determine where the enemy was located.

He directed drones and other close air support planes that were flying overhead to drop 14,000 pounds of ammunition on the enemy and free the troops.

When a rocket-propelled grenade struck a Special Forces soldier next to Villegas, he laid down so he could move to assist the wounded man, all the while returning fire at the enemy. He pulled the man behind a wall and placed himself between the man and the enemy to provide cover while directing aircraft to fly close enough to disrupt the enemy’s assault and allow his team to escape with the wounded soldier.

His actions resulted in 21 enemy dead.

For those and other acts of bravery during the battle, Villegas recently earned the Silver Star.

It was his second Silver Star, which made him only the second airman to be awarded two of the medals and the only one on active duty.

When he received the award recently at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, he shared the stage with Air Force Staff Sgt. Dale Young, a younger combat controller who also earned a Silver Star.

Villegas had overseen Young at Young’s first assignment, which made the July 22 ceremony special for them both.

Young said Villegas prepared him for his first deployment in 2007, for which he received a Bronze Star.

“I looked up to him. He’d been through all the training and had deployed before,” said the 29-year-old Young, who is stationed at Lackland. “Those are the guys you want to emulate.

“To me, all this, this award, is a testament to the guys who have gone before me, guys just like Villegas that really care about their teammates and want to see everybody do their best and live up to their potential and even surpass that at moments.”

Combat controllers are among the most combat-decorated in the Air Force. They are certified air traffic controllers who deploy with special tactics squadrons into combat zones.

On the night of May 19, 2009, Young and a team of Army Special Forces soldiers entered a small village in Helmand Province that was a safe haven for drug traffickers.

They came under immediate fire, which continued for 94 hours, according to the citation for Young’s award.

Young was assigned to the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron at Hurlburt Field at the time. He was serving as the lead combat controller for about 100 troops.

He was on a rooftop where he could coordinate air support, but was under constant fire from guns, rockets and rocket-propelled grenades, sometimes from as close as 30 feet.

He coordinated 11 aircraft at a time in an area about 5 nautical miles wide, he said.

He coordinated with other air controllers on different rooftops in the area who were also spotting enemy locations and helping direct aircraft to attack from above.

At one point, an air controller who was a friend of Young was shot by a sniper.

Young immediately coordinated a medical evacuation. When they determined the location of the sniper, he directed two 2,000-pound bombs to be dropped on the compound, which decimated it, he said.

“I took that one a little more personal,” he said.

At the end of the mission, the team located and destroyed a black tar opium stash worth more than $1 billion.

Young has been on several deployments since he joined the Air Force at 17, but said receiving the Silver Star was a surreal experience. He hadn’t been able to imagine he would make it to where he is today.

His citation said he has reflected great credit upon himself and the Air Force.

“Sgt. Young’s calm demeanor under fire, leadership in the face of grave danger and ability to simultaneously conduct precision attacks utilizing all forms of coalition aircraft in the chaotic environment undoubtedly saved the lives of numerous personnel,” the citation read.

Villegas received his first Silver Star for an Afghanistan mission in 2009. He has been deployed there seven times and to Iraq twice, as well as to other locations.

He said combat control immediately appealed to him when he joined the military at 19 years old. It promised he’d learn to sky dive, ride motorcycles and play with a lot of expensive toys.

Sixteen years later, he still loves the work and the physical and mental challenges of it.

“What makes me suited is that I’m probably a little more stubborn than your average person,” he said. “My mentality is to never quit. Failure is not an option, and I want to do something that is a lot bigger than myself.”

Over an 18-day battle in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, more than two years ago, Tech Sgt. Ismael Villegas dodged bullets and bombs in heavy rain and sleet.

At one point he was wounded when a rocket-propelled grenade launched from about 30 feet away struck a wall in front of him.

It was the longest time he’d ever been directly engaged in combat.

“There was a lot of sleep deprivation,” the 35-year-old said recently. “That was one of the hardest things. The physical pain is one thing, but the lack of sleep is a little bit more painful.”

In February 2011, the air combat controller assigned to the 24th Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field was working alongside some Army Special Forces troops in one of the most deadly areas in Afghanistan.

The area hadn’t seen any coalition troops for some time, and Villegas and the other soldiers didn’t know exactly what to expect. They thought the mission might last a week.

Villegas’ job was to coordinate all their air assets — about 40 aircraft that included gunships, helicopters and drones.

At one point, when one of the units was under attack and pinned down, he ran toward them, completely exposing himself to a barrage of enemy fire, in order to determine where the enemy was located.

He directed drones and other close air support planes that were flying overhead to drop 14,000 pounds of ammunition on the enemy and free the troops.

When a rocket-propelled grenade struck a Special Forces soldier next to Villegas, he laid down so he could move to assist the wounded man, all the while returning fire at the enemy. He pulled the man behind a wall and placed himself between the man and the enemy to provide cover while directing aircraft to fly close enough to disrupt the enemy’s assault and allow his team to escape with the wounded soldier.

His actions resulted in 21 enemy dead.

For those and other acts of bravery during the battle, Villegas recently earned the Silver Star.

It was his second Silver Star, which made him only the second airman to be awarded two of the medals and the only one on active duty.

When he received the award recently at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, he shared the stage with Air Force Staff Sgt. Dale Young, a younger combat controller who also earned a Silver Star.

Villegas had overseen Young at Young’s first assignment, which made the July 22 ceremony special for them both.

Young said Villegas prepared him for his first deployment in 2007, for which he received a Bronze Star.

“I looked up to him. He’d been through all the training and had deployed before,” said the 29-year-old Young, who is stationed at Lackland. “Those are the guys you want to emulate.

“To me, all this, this award, is a testament to the guys who have gone before me, guys just like Villegas that really care about their teammates and want to see everybody do their best and live up to their potential and even surpass that at moments.”

Combat controllers are among the most combat-decorated in the Air Force. They are certified air traffic controllers who deploy with special tactics squadrons into combat zones.

On the night of May 19, 2009, Young and a team of Army Special Forces soldiers entered a small village in Helmand Province that was a safe haven for drug traffickers.

They came under immediate fire, which continued for 94 hours, according to the citation for Young’s award.

Young was assigned to the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron at Hurlburt Field at the time. He was serving as the lead combat controller for about 100 troops.

He was on a rooftop where he could coordinate air support, but was under constant fire from guns, rockets and rocket-propelled grenades, sometimes from as close as 30 feet.

He coordinated 11 aircraft at a time in an area about 5 nautical miles wide, he said.

He coordinated with other air controllers on different rooftops in the area who were also spotting enemy locations and helping direct aircraft to attack from above.

At one point, an air controller who was a friend of Young was shot by a sniper.

Young immediately coordinated a medical evacuation. When they determined the location of the sniper, he directed two 2,000-pound bombs to be dropped on the compound, which decimated it, he said.

“I took that one a little more personal,” he said.

At the end of the mission, the team located and destroyed a black tar opium stash worth more than $1 billion.

Young has been on several deployments since he joined the Air Force at 17, but said receiving the Silver Star was a surreal experience. He hadn’t been able to imagine he would make it to where he is today.

His citation said he has reflected great credit upon himself and the Air Force.

“Sgt. Young’s calm demeanor under fire, leadership in the face of grave danger and ability to simultaneously conduct precision attacks utilizing all forms of coalition aircraft in the chaotic environment undoubtedly saved the lives of numerous personnel,” the citation read.

Villegas received his first Silver Star for an Afghanistan mission in 2009. He has been deployed there seven times and to Iraq twice, as well as to other locations.

He said combat control immediately appealed to him when he joined the military at 19 years old. It promised he’d learn to sky dive, ride motorcycles and play with a lot of expensive toys.

Sixteen years later, he still loves the work and the physical and mental challenges of it.

“What makes me suited is that I’m probably a little more stubborn than your average person,” he said. “My mentality is to never quit. Failure is not an option, and I want to do something that is a lot bigger than myself.”